Rwanda Geography

Topographic Map of Rwanda

Map of Rwanda.

Rwanda is an inland country located in East Africa. It borders Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the south and east, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is largely established by Lake Kivu (see Democratic Republic of the Congo). It is a very rugged country, with many ups and downs, which is why it is known as the country of a thousand hills.

Relief and hydrography

The Congo-Nile Divide between the Nile and Congo river basins runs north-south through Rwanda, with 80 percent of the country draining into the Nile and 20 percent into the Congo through the river Ruzizi.

Mountains dominate central and western Rwanda. These mountains are part of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African rift that encompasses parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania and stretches from the northern end of Lake Albert to the southern end of Lake Albert. Lake Tanganyika. This chain of mountains runs through Rwanda from north to south along the western border.

A branch of the Albertine Mountains is formed by the Virunga Mountains, a chain of eight volcanoes on the border between Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. The highest volcano is located on the border between the DRC and Rwanda, it is Mount Karisimbi, 4,507 m high, in the northwest.

Most of Rwanda's western border runs through Lake Kivu, which occupies the bottom of the Albertine Rift. It has a depth of 480 m and is one of the deepest in the world.

The western section of Rwanda is between 1,500 and 2,500 m in elevation, covered in rainforests that correspond to the Albertine Fault montane rainforest ecoregion. The center of the country is predominantly rounded hills, while the eastern edge consists of savannah, plains, and wetlands.

To the north of the country are the Burera and Ruhondo lakes; to the south the Rweru and Cyohoha lakes; in the center, the Muhazi and Mugesera lakes, and to the east, a chain of lakes in a swampy area, among which Lake Ihema stands out, and which are part of the Kagera National Park.

The longest river in the country is the Nyabarongo River, which rises in the southwest in the Nyungwe Forest, flows north as the Mwongo, and is named after joining the Mbirurume River, then flows south, receives the Akanyaru River and continues to Lake Rweru, on the border with Burundi, from which it emerges with the name of Kagera. This flows northwards forming the eastern border with Tanzania.

The origins of the Nile River

Akagera River

The Akagera Basin has a general elevation of 1,200-1,600 m asl, but can rise above 2,500 m asl to the west with peaks reaching 4,500 m s. no. m. Rainfall is less than 1,000 mm/yr in most of the eastern half of the basin, but rises to more than 1,800 mm/yr in the west, where most of the rainfall is generated. runoff.

Most of the watershed has been intensively farmed, resulting in erosion and sediment loading of rivers from high rainfall areas. The upper tributaries are generally steep but include flatter reaches where swamps have formed. The middle reach of the river and its tributaries above the Rusumo Falls is extremely complicated, this reach reflecting regional deformation and drainage inversion, with some tributaries retaining the appearance of flowing into the Congo River. Several side valleys enter the river with their courses full of mud or swamps. Between Kigali and Rusumo Falls, the slope decreases from about 0.3 m/km to 0.05 m/km and the valley is filled with papyrus swamps up to 15 km wide.

The average discharge of the Akagera River is estimated at 256 m³/s with a minimum flow, in the dry season, of 85 m³/s. Let's say the Akagera River is the main tributary of Lake Victoria. It has this title because it is considered the source of the Nile. The contribution of the Akagera River to Lake Victoria is 262 m³/s.

The main rivers of the Nile basin in Rwanda are: Mwogo, Rukarara, Mukungwa, Base, Nyabarongo and Akanyaru, from which water is drained by the Nyabarongo which becomes Akagera at the outlet of Lake Rweru.

The discharges that pass in transit through the main hydrological stations are on average as:

• Nyabarongo in Kigali: 78 m3/s
• Nyabarongo in Kanzenze: 100 m3/s
• Akagera in Rusumo: 232 m3/s
• Akagera in Kagitumba: 256 m3/s

The Congo River Basin in Rwanda

The main rivers of the Congo Basin are: Sebeya, Koko, Ruhwa, Rubyiro and Rusizi. The average discharge of each is estimated at 48 m³/s with a low flow of 7 m³/s.

Climate

Rain in Kigali (January 2020)

Rwanda, just south of the equator, is the land of a thousand hills. Due to the altitude, it has a pleasant climate, with cool nights, since most of the country is at around 1,500 m altitude. Only in the region of the Ruzizi River, on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the altitude drops to 1,000 m and the heat is intense, with maximums of up to 35.oC.

Precipitation ranges between 1,000 and 1,400 mm depending on the area, with a dry season between June and August, and a rainier season from September to May, with two maximums during the passage of the sun through the zenith of the country, from March to May and from September to November. The sky is usually cloudy, and the rains occur through showers or storms.

In Kigali, the capital, in the center of the country, 950-1,000mm falls annually in 130 days, with 10mm and a single rainy day in July, and 18 rainy days and 155mm in April. Temperatures range throughout the year between 16.oC and 27.oC, with a little more heat in August and September.

In the south it rains a little more; in Cyangugu, on the southern shore of Lake Kivu, 1,320-1,400 mm fall in 180 days. Only less than 100mm falls between June and August, and temperatures range from 14.o C and 26.orC all year round.

In the area of the Volcanoes National Park, clouds generally cover the mountain above 3000 m, it is colder, it can even freeze, and the forest is replaced by scrub. It rains all year.

National Parks of Rwanda

Map of Rwanda. To the east you can see the Akagera National Park. In the northwest is the Volcanoes National Park and in the south-east of Lake Kivu, the Nyungwe Forest is located.

Gorila and her baby in the Volcanoes National Park.

There are three protected areas in Rwanda with the designation of national parks, managed by the Rwanda Development Board, which is responsible for the maintenance and tourism infrastructure.

• Akagera National Park, created in 1934, 1200 km2, so called by the Kagera River that marks the eastern border of Rwanda with Tanzania. The park occupies the central part of the border area from Lake Ihema to the north. The river basin, on its left side, is formed by a series of wetlands and savannah with numerous lakes, including the Kivumba lakes, Hago, Mihindi, with the so-called "Poppos Beach", and Rwanyakizinga. North, across the border, protection continues at the Ibanda Hunting Reserve in Tanzania. South, also in Tanzania, is the Kimisi Hunting Reserve. The park has an abundant fauna among which are the five large in Africa, as well as giraffes, hyenas, leopards, crocodiles, etc., and more than 500 bird species.

• Nyungwe National Park, created in 2004, has 970 km2. it is the best preserved rainforest in Africa, in southern Rwanda, on horseback from the Congo-Nilo divide. It has rainforest, bamboo, grasslands, swamps and peats. Here are 13 species of primates, including chimpanzees and collobos. The park is 3000 m high. South, close to the Kibira National Park in Burundi, 400 km2.

• National Park of Volcanoes, created in 1929 has 125 km2. It is located in the northwest of Rwanda and occupies five of the eight volcanoes that make up the Virunga mountains. It is attached to the Virunga National Park in the DRC, and the Mgahinga Gorila National Park in Uganda. It was created as a refuge for mountain gorillas. It was the first national park in Africa and the base of the Zoologist Dian Fossey. The vegetation varies with altitude. Between 2-500 and 3,200 m the bamboo dominates. Over 4,300 m there are only meadows.